Extract: “Following Trump’s return to Washington on Saturday night from a nine-day foreign trip that provided a bit of a respite from the controversy back home, the White House plans to far more aggressively combat the cascading revelations about contacts between Trump associates, including Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, and Russia.”…While much remained fluid Saturday, the beefed-up operation could include the return of some of Trump’s more combative campaign aides, including former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was fired nearly a year ago, and former deputy campaign manager David N. Bossie, who made his name in politics by investigating Bill and Hillary Clinton for two decades. Both of them have already been part of ongoing discussions about how to build a “war room,” which have been led in part by chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon.

Other Trump players who have drifted from his orbit in recent months, such as Sam Nunberg, are also being courted to play more active roles, either officially joining the White House or in an outside capacity, working through confidants of the president.

“Go to the mattresses,” a line from “The Godfather” film about turning to tough mercenaries during troubled times, has circulated among Trump’s friends, according to two people close to the “war room” discussions.”

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "At this point the following has been established: Jared Kushner secretly met with the Russian Ambassador during the transition period to try to set up a secret backchannel with the Russian government. Immediately afterward, he met with the head of a Russian government-controlled bank. He then committed a felony by lying about those meetings on his SF-86 security clearance form. And after it all came out in the media, he tried to anonymously plant a story in the media that the backchannel was about Syria. Kushner is in a hole, and he just keeps digging."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Here is an opinion piece from the Palmer Report entitled: "Now we know that Michael Flynn has Donald Trump and Jared Kushner by the balls"; which indicates that Trump & Kushner may well be facing criminal charges if the FBI has flipped Flynn with a plea deal to provide evidence and testimony about Trump's kleptocratic negotiations with Russia in December 2016:

Extract: "… whatever Kushner was doing during that first meeting, Flynn was there and he heard every word of it. Some reports say the FBI is looking into a scenario in which Kushner offered to ease U.S. sanctions on the Russian government in exchange for Russian bank loans to the Trump’s personal empire. If so, that had to have been discussed at the meeting with Kislyak, meaning Flynn knows about it. So Flynn holds all the cards. He has all along, and both Trump and Kushner have known it all along."

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“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

One thing to note...is that Donnie is pretty much STUCK with the team he has. He can't FIRE anyone who has any real knowledge of the crap going on inside the administration...especially with RussiaGate. That is why Trump is so worried about Flynn and Manafort.

So now...Donnie is stuck with rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. The only people who would work for Donnie now...are third tier employees that nobody else will hire....

Still waiting for Trump to fire Mueller before Comey testifies. Donnie will likely lash out to the bitter end. His business "empire" (charade) will fold up like a cheap suit within a couple of years from the time Donnie is removed/resigns.

Extract: "President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney has turned down a request to be interviewed and provide documents in the congressional probe into Russian interference into the 2016 election."

See also:

"Hey Donald Trump, is it a bad sign when your attorney needs an attorney? "

Extract: "Asking Trump’s attorney to testify in the Russia scandal only makes sense if the Senate Intel Committee believes the move will yield major new revelations. Otherwise it’s a big risk to take that could end up backfiring. So it raises the question of what the committee knows that we don’t."

« Last Edit: May 30, 2017, 11:26:43 PM by AbruptSLR »

Logged

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Since I have no reason to second guess Buddy, I thought we should learn a little more about the 46th President of the Excited States of America:

President Pence rode Koch Brothers donations all the way to the White House.Both Koch Industries & Koch Enterprises were major contributors as far back as his runs for congress. In 1991 they provided support for Pence's Indiana Policy Review Foundation and when Governor Pence made some of the largest tax cuts in state history he was applauded by the Koch Brothers Americans for Prosperity.

He shares top staff with the Koch Brothers and has been "a loyal political ally" of theirs for years according to The Nation.

When asked about climate change in 2016 Pence responded that "I don't know that that is a resolved issue in science today". He may have learned this during the 5 years in which he was a talk show host on the radio.

On his Congressional Web Site he states, "Global warming is a Myth. The global warming treaty is a disaster. There, I said it."

I'll leave you with a few words from our next President, speaking to Bill Matthews.

"Uh, do I believe in evolution. I embrace the view that God created the Heavens, and the Earth, the Seas and all that's in them. The means he used to do that, I can't say, but I do believe in the Fundamental Truth."

(He appears to have been channeling William Jennings Bryant at the "Monkey Trial")

As we continue to meander......as RussaGate continues to play out...... I encourage you to look CLOSELY at the psychology of the individuals: What they do vs what they say......how they say it......their body language (for instance of Putin during Macron's speech......or the body language of Trump almost any time).

Donnie looks to be "psychologically breaking down". I guess if I lied like a drunken sailor 24x7......I would be breaking down as well. I doubt anything like this has EVER played out in the US to this extent.....and we STILL haven't gotten to the juicy stuff.....and may not for many months. Donnie has already lied so much his team can't keep things straight.

Tick......tick......tick. That nasty clock just won't stop until it gets to the truth......

Since I have no reason to second guess Buddy, I thought we should learn a little more about the 46th President of the Excited States of America:

Terry

Terry, you are "right on" about Pence, and the resignation or impeachment of Trump would end up with a possible ten years of a Pence presidency. I believe (and hope!) that Pence would not be re-elected as President, but even if he was, he would bring to the office of President a level or two of sanity higher than what the Donald can provide. Also, a Democrat majority in both houses of Congress is highly likely after the 2020 election.

Another issue to consider is whether the electorate would consider Pence worthy of re-election since he stood at Trump's right hand as a very loyal Vice-President during Trump's turbulent and hopefully short tenure as Commander-In-Chief.

BudMI do so hope that you are right, and that my fears are for naught.

I see Trump as an uneducated fool that can get us in a lot of trouble. He appears to be loosing Republican support which will make it very difficult for him to accomplish anything, good or bad. This I see as a positive.

Pence appears a more accomplished politician, not a high bar to clear, and he will have, at least initially, the full support of the Republican side of the aisle. Being an experienced political executive he will know how to get laws passed that his sponsors, the Koch Brothers, approve of.The Democrats should pick up House seats in 2018, but Republicans will hold the Senate, and probably will be able to keep their majority in the House.

If things continue apace Trump will be forced to increase his popularity by bombing somebody. The news outlets have been heavily weighted against him - except when he lobbed missiles at Syria and dropped the biggest conventional bomb ever fired in anger over Afghanistan. The news then swung from 80% negative to 80% positive as he killed some brown people.

Reagan attacked Granada, Daddy Bush did Panama, bolstering opinion polls by bombing innocents is not a new strategy. Who will Trump's victim be?

North Korea seems a likely candidate, but both China and Russia could rush to North Korea's aid, there is historic precedent. My guess is that a far lower priority target will be green lighted. Some small unarmed nation that no one cares too much about, probably in Central or South America. An island nation in the Pacific might fit the bill. Whack East Timur or perhaps conquer the rest of Samoa or Papua New Guinea.

I don't think provoking Russia or China has an upside. If it simmers the way it has been trade will be effected, if it gets hot it could flash to nuclear should either side perceive that the other was about to land a decisive blow.

I believe we want the same thing, which is for the Trump & Pence Presidencies to pass with as little damage as possible. It's going to last a minimum of 4 years & I'd prefer an incompetent with little support at the helm.

This is now taking a very weird turn: The Trump administration may be giving back to Russia...the two compounds that the US took from them in late December of 2016...5 months ago...as a sanction for interfering in the US election.

This is going to get even more interesting next week when Comey testifies.

I have been putting together a "mental list" of Congressmen who are POTENTIALY are "compromised" by the Russians.

Some of them will be obvious.....at least I think their actions show that they are likely compromised. Others may not be as obvious. But when the dots keep connecting......I have no choice but to follow it where it leads me.

Mike Pence will NOT be president. Either BOTH of them (Donnie & Mike...as well as many others) are given the boot...or Donnie stays in power. And if Donnie stays...we have MUCH bigger issues on our hands in the US.

BudMI do so hope that you are right, and that my fears are for naught.

I see Trump as an uneducated fool that can get us in a lot of trouble. He appears to be loosing Republican support which will make it very difficult for him to accomplish anything, good or bad. This I see as a positive.

I believe we want the same thing, which is for the Trump & Pence Presidencies to pass with as little damage as possible. It's going to last a minimum of 4 years & I'd prefer an incompetent with little support at the helm.

Terry

I HOPE I am right Terry! Time will tell one way or the other. I'm sure the Republican majority in both houses of Congress would love to see Pence as President, but when it comes to 2020, Pence wont have the following that Trump has enjoyed.

Mike Pence will NOT be president. Either BOTH of them (Donnie & Mike...as well as many others) are given the boot...or Donnie stays in power. And if Donnie stays...we have MUCH bigger issues on our hands in the US.

You may well be correct Buddy, but somehow I think Pence will escape judgement and if Trump is impeached, Pence will become the 46th President. The Republicans will have to be involved in a Trump impeachment and they are probably salivating at the thought of having a compliant conservative Republican like Pence. Imagine the legislation that the Republicans could be able to pass with Pence at the helm.

When all is said and done....RussiaGate will prove to be the largest political and financial corruption fiasco in history and will ensnare Donnie, Mikey, Jeffrey (Sessions), and many others.

It may end up being one of the largest money laundering schemes in US political history...and is getting closer to blowing up. I believe this may ensnare Paul Ryan, Nunez, Chaffetz, and many others inside the Trump administration, Trump companies, Congress, and the Trump cabinet.

One thing to note....a couple months ago I said the White House press corps would eventually arrive at the point where they become openly beligerant to Spicey. Yesterday was that day. It WILL get even uglier and more combative yet....but yesterday the dam broke regarding Spicey and his relationship with the White House press corps.

Mike Pence will NOT be president. Either BOTH of them (Donnie & Mike...as well as many others) are given the boot...or Donnie stays in power. And if Donnie stays...we have MUCH bigger issues on our hands in the US.

Pence seems to be more peripherally involved. I expect Trump to resign eventually, not terribly soon. Either Congressional Republicans privately tell him he'll be impeached if he doesn't resign, or the FBI waives prosecution in exchange for Trump leaving politics permanently. Even without impeachment, Trump could be criminally charged by the Justice Department.

If Trump resigns first, Pence becomes President and nominates a Vice President. If Pence were to resign first, Trump would nominate some squeaky-clean consensus Republican for VP, who would become President upon Trumps resignation.

Ryan would only be in the true line of succession if both Pence and Trump resigned simultaneously. That seems improbable.

The Paris agreement is also Russiagate. Putin knows climate change is real. He also know that Russia is mostly a frozen land surrounded by ice while the US strikes almost perfect weather. He knows climate change won't be good, but he also knows it will be much worse for the US. This is a double whammy.

On one hand the US will be conceding even more power an influence by leaving the treaty. On the other they keep the oil market going to the benefit of Russia. On yet another hand (tm) by forgoing the pursuit of efficiency and energy diversification the US will drive itself into obsolescence.

Logged

I am an energy reservoir seemingly intent on lowering entropy for self preservation.

The subject of "timing" will indeed be a topic of discussion down the road. Trump, Pence, Sessions, Little Trumps, etc. There is going to be a lot of thought going into this by the Justice Dept. Uncharted territory....and a LOT of moving parts. And as I noted a couple of months ago.....the "T word" is now being bandied about. Expect that volume to increase as the breadth and depth of RussiaGate continues to unfold.

For a community of interest such as this forum that is all too familiar with the mechanisms of systemic denialism, it is quite remarkable how in this and other threads some continue to deny and ridicule the concept of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in the 2016 election, and the likely deeper history with Trump's financial web, in the face of growing evidence and data points.

The following article highlights the Trump administration's immediate attempts to ease sanctions against Russia WRT the illegal and immoral Crimean occupation, foiled by Obama holdovers in the State Dept.

Unknown to the public at the time, top Trump administration officials, almost as soon as they took office, tasked State Department staffers with developing proposals for the lifting of economic sanctions, the return of diplomatic compounds and other steps to relieve tensions with Moscow.

These efforts to relax or remove punitive measures imposed by President Obama in retaliation for Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and meddling in the 2016 election alarmed some State Department officials, who immediately began lobbying congressional leaders to quickly pass legislation to block the move, the sources said.--------------------------The following article highlights the Trump administrations intentions to return several compounds in Maryland to Russia, which were ordered to be vacated as part of the Obama administration's response to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Early last month, the Trump administration told the Russians that it would consider turning the properties back over to them if Moscow would lift its freeze, imposed in 2014 in retaliation for U.S. sanctions related to Ukraine, on construction of a new U.S. consulate on a certain parcel of land in St. Petersburg.

Two days later, the U.S. position changed. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at a meeting in Washington that the United States had dropped any linkage between the compounds and the consulate, according to several people with knowledge of the exchanges.

---------------------------------The following article highlights the sequence of events related to Jared Kushner's meeting with the chief executive of Putin allied bank Vnesheconombank in December 2016 during the transition period. The bank has been under sanctions since 2014, and the meeting came at a time when Kushner was seeking funding for a troubled $1.8 billion piece of NY real estate.

The discrepancy has thrust Vnesheconombank, known for advancing the strategic interests of Russian President Vladi­mir Putin and for its role in a past U.S. espionage case, into the center of the controversy enveloping the White House. And it has highlighted the role played by the bank’s 48-year-old chief executive, Sergey Gorkov, a graduate of the academy of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the domestic intelligence arm of the former Soviet KGB, who was appointed by Putin to the post less than a year before his encounter with Kushner.

Either account of the meeting could bring complications for a White House undergoing intensifying scrutiny from a special counsel and multiple congressional committees.

A diplomatic meeting would have provided the bank, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2014, a chance to press for rolling back the penalties even as the Obama administration was weighing additional retaliations against Moscow for Russia’s interference in the U.S. election.

A business meeting between an international development bank and a real estate executive, coming as Kushner’s company had been seeking financing for its troubled $1.8 billion purchase of an office building on Fifth Avenue in New York, could raise questions about whether Kushner’s personal financial interests were colliding with his impending role as a public official.

1). Donnie invokes executive privalege for his conversations with Comey

2). Then.....Dept of justice seems to have two choices: (a) ignore the executive privilege, stating that it does NOT apply since Donnie has effectively waived such privalege since Donnie has already tweeted about and spoken about those conversations in public, OR (b) go to court against Donnie's executive privalege claim FIRST.

Eventually Mueller is going to get fired....and Donnie is going to use the Comey testimony as the reason WHY Donnie will fire Mueller...whether he fires him before Comey testifies doesn't matter to us, but it might matter to Donnie. Donnie does not want Comey to testify....and he does not want Mueller on the case.

So whether Mueller tries to ignore the executive privalege....or goes to court to get the executive privalege thrown out....Mueller will be toast. Of course...Comey will EVENTUALLY testify. Although it is looking less likely to me, that it will be next week.

I don't see how the Justice Department can go to court against a Trump declaration of Executive Privilege. That would be the Executive Branch suing the Executive Branch.

The folks with standing to sue would be the Congressional committees seeking the testimony. But that would be Republican committees suing a Republican President in court. That's only slightly less improbable than the R's voting for impeachment.

Technically.....yes, it will be the Senate committe that would have to take Trump to court. Remember...this is the Senate committee...and not the House. Also remember...that Comey turned DOWN the initial request from the house. Comey wanted two things: (1) testimony had to be public, and (2) it had to be the senate. He had good reasons for that...and they are now playing out.

If you are a Republican senator....it will be difficult for you to argue for executive privalege at LEAST on a limited basis for those things that Donnie has alredy talked about. In addition...Comey is an EX employee, not current employee. Not sure if there is any case law on that. But the "optics" are not good. I see the senate committee forcing Donnie's hand on this issue....supported and encouraged by Mueller.

Extract: "… a key development in the Trump-Russia scandal went almost unnoticed. Russian government officials have been caught bragging about the blackmail material they claim to have on Trump and some of his top aides."

Logged

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "The White House and the Russian bank have offered conflicting explanations for the meeting between Kushner and Sergey Gorkov, a Putin appointee, which has only fueled the intrigue around the senior Trump aide who was named as a point of focus in the FBI's criminal probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, according to US officials briefed on the investigation."

See also:

"After meeting with Jared Kushner, head of Russian bank flew straight to meet with Vladimir Putin"

Donnie taking a hit in the polls. Gallup now has his approval rating at 37%....and disapproval at 57%. Not yet his lowest to date... but definitely heading that direction. Back at the end of March Donnie's approval rating was 35%. Eventually he MAY need to get into the mid 20's. This coming week isn't going to be anything for Donnie to brag about.🤡

I really like The Palmer Report.....but they, along with others...are reporting that Donnie is somehow doing something nefarious by filing an extension for his individual tax return. Many or most complex returns...where the individual has many partnership or S Corp interests....it is NORMAL to file an extension because the don't have all the K-1's in by April 15th.

Filing an extension may be one of the few things that Donnie does that IS honest.

Donnie taking a hit in the polls. Gallup now has his approval rating at 37%....and disapproval at 57%. Not yet his lowest to date... but definitely heading that direction. Back at the end of March Donnie's approval rating was 35%. Eventually he MAY need to get into the mid 20's. This coming week isn't going to be anything for Donnie to brag about.🤡

With today's extreme partisan environment, state sponsored and conspiracy focused media such as Fox and Infowars, and a large portion of Republicans detached from reality and facts, it would be surprising to see Trump's approval drop under 30%. As you note his approval has remained in a tight range, despite his incompetence and a rising tide of negative press and developments in Russiagate. It appears a portion of the US electorate would continue to support Trump even if he shot someone on 5th Avenue in NYC, or if Putin released embarrassing kompromat. Even Dick Nixon maintained a floor of support up until his resignation, and partisanship and ignorance has become much sharper in the US since the 70s.

It will be interesting to see what Donnie's ultimate low level will be . And you are right...there was no FOX News in 1973/1974 to help brainwash Nixon's backers. But Tricky Dicks approval ratings got down to 30 - 33% by August. I have confidence in Donnie that he can do that...and go below that by 2018. If you look at clips of Nixon...at least he could speak full sentences of English....he didn't grab vagina's...and I don't think the whole world was laughing at him and mocking him.

Countries like France and Canada are playing this as I would play this: Go ahead and move to Canada/France....where critical thinking....and thinking in general is welcome.

Grab your popcorn and warm up you VCR....it will be a wild summer. If I am a Democratic strategist...I want Donnie in office another 15 months or so, so that Donnie is still fresh in their minds as people vote in the midterm elections.

What’s not is that the president also disappointed—and surprised—his own top national security officials by failing to include the language reaffirming the so-called Article 5 provision in his speech. National security adviser H.R. McMaster, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson all supported Trump doing so and had worked in the weeks leading up to the trip to make sure it was included in the speech, according to five sources familiar with the episode. They thought it was, and a White House aide even told The New York Times the day before the line was definitely included.

Logged

I am an energy reservoir seemingly intent on lowering entropy for self preservation.

Extract: "If history holds, Democrats would likely take back control of the House in 2018 -- given that they only need a 24-seat gain to do so. (One factor working against Democrats: The House is pretty well sorted out on partisan lines. Only 23 House Republicans currently represent districts Hillary Clinton carried last November.)"

Logged

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "Political insider Claude Taylor, whose inside sources have often been proven correct, shared the following today: “A senior Cap Hill staffer I’ve known for 15 years just told me GOP Senators/House members are “starting to look for an off ramp for Trump.” (link). This stands out because the list of ways to make that happen is rather short. The 25th Amendment requires the majority of cabinet members, which seems unlikely at this time. That leaves Congress to its own devices."

Logged

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: “According to a report at The Intercept, an internal document at the NSA shows that Russian military intelligence “executed a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election.” ”

Logged

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Four months in....and someone on CNN is calling Trump a POS. I have to admit...I didn't see that one coming.

Don't get over confident....we have a long ways to go, and Donnie will do ANYTHING to stay in office. If he is booted out of office they will be financially ruined. So he is definitely ruined. Also...remember that there are likely many folks in Congress that have their testicles on the line here as well.

I expect polls to continue on a slow but jagged downward drift. Donnie will be using his media sources as best as he can in coming months in order to keep polls from deteriorating further: FOX, Breitbart, Enquirer, etc. And Donnie's crack team of liars les by Huckabee and Spicey will be at their outrageous best.

Is Huckabee a piece of work or what? You wonder why the percentage of Christians in the US has been dropping....you have to look no further than people like Huckabee. Does anyone REALLY think you can be a true Christian AND a liar 24 x 7 x 365 like Huckabee or Spicey or any number of fake Christians in Congress? They avoid the truth like the plague. I'm waiting for the day they get called out in a press briefing for their hypocracy of Christianity and lying.

Mankind has such a very long way to go....and it starts with looking for the truth, and calling out those that lie.

Extract: "Now that the Donald Trump administration has arrested government contractor Reality Winner for leaking NSA intel showing just how thoroughly Russia hacked the election in Trump’s favor, Americans have become instantly fixated with the fact that her name is in fact Reality Winner. After all, she may have just taken down an illegitimate U.S. President who’s best known as a reality show host. But once you get past that, the only possible conclusion is that she’s an American hero and Trump is indeed a traitor."

Logged

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Leon C. Megginson

Extract: "The report indicates that Russian hacking may have penetrated further into U.S. voting systems than was previously understood. It states unequivocally in its summary statement that it was Russian military intelligence, specifically the Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, that conducted the cyber attacks described in the document:Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate actors … executed cyber espionage operations against a named U.S. company in August 2016, evidently to obtain information on elections-related software and hardware solutions. … The actors likely used data obtained from that operation to … launch a voter registration-themed spear-phishing campaign targeting U.S. local government organizations.

This NSA summary judgment is sharply at odds with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial last week that Russia had interfered in foreign elections: “We never engaged in that on a state level, and have no intention of doing so.” Putin, who had previously issued blanket denials that any such Russian meddling occurred, for the first time floated the possibility that freelance Russian hackers with “patriotic leanings” may have been responsible. The NSA report, on the contrary, displays no doubt that the cyber assault was carried out by the GRU."